Chapter 10: Against Super Sonic... or something else?
For Clutch, there was no worse feeling than being defeated, his claws digging into the ground beneath his feet as he tried to drag himself as far away from the place as possible.
"Stupid Tenrec... stupid hedgehogs... stupid robot..." he muttered, his claws filling with dirt and filthy mud, which seeped into the cracks between his claw and his flesh. His suit lay soaked and torn, his breathing labored as he slid away from the airlime, now shattered by the impact with the rocks. He was lucky to have survived after Surge had fried the limo's systems with an electromagnetic pulse and sent it into free fall for over 10 kilometers.
One of his hands reached pitifully for his communicator. The possum tried to contact Breezie, Metallix, or Mimic, but none of them responded. "Damn it!" he said finally, slamming the radio against the ground. "It doesn't matter... I'll destroy them all... I..." Clutch stopped when he felt a boot on his head, an electric flash coming from the fists above him.
"Hey, Clutch... are you leaving?" Kitsunami asked from the side of the tenrec stepping on Clutch's head, her aquamarine fur disheveled and looking somewhat battered, but she maintained a cold and fearsome gaze.
"Yeah, Kit and I still have a LOT to talk to you about," said Surge, who stood up, placing one of her spiked slippers on Clutch's head. She wasn't smiling, instead looking genuinely annoyed, cracking her knuckles.
"And it's not just us who want to have a chat with you, Clutch."
Clutch couldn't say anything, the shock of being caught and now threatened by those two had rendered him mute. He could only look at Kit and Surge, with fear and desperation in his eyes.
"You're in big trouble, Clutch," Surge said coldly, her spines crackling with electricity.
Kit nodded in agreement, her aquamarine tail flicking back and forth nervously.
Clutch, defiant to the very end, simply smiled. "Fuck you both! Do you think you'll be seen in a better light for stopping me?" Clutch said, before taking a kick from Surge that sent him flying several meters back, returning to the limo, which shook gently when Clutch's back impacted with it.
"I... I took you off the streets... I sponsored you! I made you heroes! Do you think anyone will believe you?" Clutch provoked. It was all he had left, his pride. "From now on... you'll only be seen as the mercenaries of my company! No one will ever trust you again," Clutch said with a smile. Despite his snout being injured from Surge's kick, he wouldn't leave begging or groveling before them.
He would die with his dignity intact.
"You did make a good point, Clutch," Surge said, walking towards him, her bootsteps echoing through the night. "We were just your puppets, weren't we? You pulled the strings, and we danced. But now the music's over, and we're not playing by your rules anymore." Surge leaned down, her lime green spikes inches away from Clutch's snout. "Besides, who's to say we can't turn the tables? Maybe we'll be the ones calling the shots from now on."
Clutch laughed, but it was a weak and humorless sound.
"You're delusional if you think that's possible. You're nothing without me. You're just a couple of glorified pests."
Surge's eyes narrowed, and she dug her boot into Clutch's fur, causing him to yelp in pain. "You're the one who's delusional if you think we're going to let you get away with this. You tried to kill us, Clutch. You tried to kill our friends. And for what? Because we didn't want to be your little puppets anymore?"
Kit stepped forward, her tail flicking dangerously.
"Clutch, you can't just erase us like that. We're not your pets or your possessions. We have our own minds, our own choices, and we're not going to let you take that away from us."
Clutch scoffed, despite the pain from Surge's boot. "You're pathetic, the both of you. You think you can stand against me? Against Sweep Clean Inc.? You're nothing but bugs, insignificant specks on the grand scheme of things."
Surge's spines crackled with electricity, and she leaned in closer to Clutch. "You know what, Clutch?
You're right," Surge said, a wicked smile spreading across her face. "We are just bugs. But you know what bugs do? They bite. And they bite hard."
Surge's eyes narrowed, and she pressed her boot harder into Clutch's snout, causing him to whimper in pain. "You messed with the wrong bugs, Clutch. You tried to stomp us out, but we're still here. And now, we're going to make sure you never hurt anyone else again."
Kit nodded in agreement, her eyes filled with determination.
Suddenly, there was a distant explosion, the Sweet Clean Inc. ship vaporized in midair by a golden light that shone brightly as it shattered the metal chassis.
"Apparently, the blue Hedgehog has taken care of it..." Surge said, watching from a distance, but her gaze paled when she saw that saving golden flash descend upon Central City, evaporating buildings in its wake.
"No... that's not Sonic. Something's wrong..."
Kit looked around nervously, his eyes widening as he saw the cityscape being reduced to rubble by that relentless golden light. "We need to stop that!" he exclaimed, but Surge put a paw on his shoulder.
"No, Kit. We need to survive this. There's no way we can stop whatever that is. We need to find the others and warn them," Surge said, her voice grave. She knew they were no match for whatever was happening to Sonic.
Kitsunami, determined, disobeyed Surge, and using his hydrokinesis, created a jet of water that propelled him toward Central City.
"Kit! What are you doing, you damn brat?!" Surge said, torn between getting revenge on Clutch or going after Kitsunami. She seemed to hesitate, her fists clenching tightly as she stared at Kit's retreating figure and the pitiful figure of Clutch beneath her.
She cursed, and without another thought, ran after Kit, leaving Clutch alone in his own misery.
She had to make sure Kit didn't do something stupid and get himself killed.
As she ran, Surge scanned the city, her eyes widening as she saw the sheer destruction that was unfolding. Buildings were crumbling, and fires were spreading rapidly. People were fleeing, but many were trapped, unable to escape the golden light that was consuming everything in its path.
Surge's heart pounded in her chest as she ran, her spines crackling with electricity. She couldn't believe what was happening. Whoever or whatever was behind this, it was unstoppable.
Surge had never seen anything like it. She pushed herself harder, her spines humming with renewed energy as she raced through the streets. She couldn't let Kit face this alone.
As she neared the city center, she saw Kit standing atop a building, his water tentacles reaching out, trying to snuff out the fires that consumed the city. But for every building he saved, another one was consumed by the golden light that seemed to be coming from everywhere and nowhere at the same time.
Surge scanned the skies, her eyes narrowing as she spotted the golden figure that was the source of the destruction. It was Sonic, but not Sonic.
A twisted, corrupted version of the blue blur, his once-golden fur now a sickly golden color that seemed to pulse with an otherworldly energy. His spines were exploding with electrical power, the air around him crackling and sparking with chaos energy. Surge watched in horror as Sonic tore through the city, his speed leaving a trail of destruction in his wake.
"Kit, get down from there!" Surge shouted, her voice echoing through the city. She watched as her friend hesitated, his water tentacles flickering as he tried to put out one of the raging fires.
He looked at her, his aquamarine eyes filled with uncertainty and fear.
"Surge... I can't just leave them," Kit said, his voice shaking. "I have to help them."
"Kit, you can't save everyone," Surge said, her voice harsh. "We need to get out of here, find the others, and figure out what's happening."
Kit looked back at the city, his eyes filled with sadness and guilt. "But what about the people, Surge? We can't just leave them to die."
Surge bit her lip, her gaze flickering between Kit and the golden figure that was destroying the city.
Suddenly, a cacophonous and hellish voice, a nightmarish parody of Sonic's own, echoed from Super Sonic. "Oh my, behold, people of Central City, your saviors..." Sonic mocked, before unleashing a burst of energy from his eyes toward Kitsunami, which were two sockets of spiraling reddish madness. Likewise, the white gloves had been torn at the tips, revealing sharp claws, and even the teeth seemed to have sharpened. Surge rushed in, managing to save Kit in time, along with several others thanks to her speed. Even though she seemed exhausted, she had to run at full speed to keep up with the now-mad golden hedgehog.
"What the hell is happening to him?" Surge asked herself, looking at the havoc Sonic was causing.
"I don't know, but we can't let him tear the city apart like this," Surge said, her electrical spikes crackling with new charges.
She dashed forward, trying to get close enough to hit Sonic with a powerful electric shock, but Sonic seemed to anticipate her, turning around just in time to dodge her attack.
"Gotcha!" Surge heard a voice behind her, followed by a harsh blow to her side that sent her flying into a nearby building.
She hit the wall hard, cracking the concrete, and slid to the ground, barely conscious.
*That's not Sonic,* she thought, pain coursing through her body. She tried to move, but her limbs felt heavy, her vision blurring.
*I have to... help Kit... stop him...*
She forced herself to stand, her spines crackling weakly. She saw Kit crouched on the ground, a water tentacle protecting him from the falling debris. He looked up at her, his eyes filled with fear and guilt.
"Surge..." he said, his voice shaking.
Surge tried to move, but Sonic appeared in front of her, grabbing her by the throat. His clawed hand wrapped painfully around her neck before slamming her into the granite floor.
"Let's watch it together, Surge," Sonic said with a sadistic grin, as they both watched Kitsunami's water shield give way, raining down debris on top of the poor fennec.
"Kit!!!" Surge yelled, trying to break free, but Sonic held her pinned to the ground with one arm. Laughing, Sonic looked at Surge with a smug smile.
"Don't worry, that's how heroes die... he's not dead, though, is he, Shadow?" Sonic asked Shadow, who had managed to save Kitsunami at the last minute, even though pieces of debris had hit his back.
"What's the matter, Shadow? Don't you like this?" Sonic taunted, his grip tightening around Surge's throat.
"Enough, Sonic. You're not thinking straight," Shadow responded, his voice cold and firm, despite the pain he was in from the impact.
Surge struggled to breathe as Sonic's grip tightened, but she managed to gasp out, "Shadow, you're right. This isn't Sonic. Something's wrong with him."
Sonic laughed, a maniacal sound that sent shivers down Surge's spine. "Wrong? No, no, no. Only now, I'm free..." Sonic said before throwing Surge to the side and going for the black hedgehog.
Shadow tried to respond, but against the increased speed and power that Super Form granted to Sonic, he was unable to avoid being caught by the chest and slammed against one of the walls until they both passed through it.
"Come on, Shadow, stop me!" Sonic said, kicking Shadow to the ground.
At that moment, Lanolin, Whisper, and Tangle arrived from the side. The sheep launched a sonic attack at Super Sonic, which he simply blocked like someone blocking a breeze.
"Pathetic..." Sonic said before flying towards her, but before he could catch her, Tangle caught him with her tail.
"Sonic! What are you doing?! You're our friend!" Tangle yelled, looking hurt as she tried to stop Super Sonic.
"Oh yeah? "Tell me, would a friend do this?!" Sonic said, grabbing Tangle by the tail and slamming her into the street.
"Tangle!!!" Whisper yelled, her voice raspy, like a high-pitched whisper as she fired drill-like wisps to try and pull Sonic away from Tangle.
Sonic caught one of them like a ball, creatures capable of destroying reinforced steel, stopped effortlessly by Sonic. "How cute, I still remember when I saved them from Eggman that time..." Sonic said before kicking the one in his hand away and charging towards Whisper, extending his right arm to catch her.
"You're going to join me in this new world, Whisper."
Whisper yelped in surprise as she was caught, her body going limp in Sonic's grasp. Her eyes were wide with shock and fear, her body trembling as she was held aloft by the mad hedgehog.
Tangle, seeing her friend being carried away by the creature that used to be her friend, let out a cry of frustration and anger. "No! Let her go, Sonic!" She tried to chase after him, but her tail was still wrapped around his other arm, slowing her down.
She yanked hard, hoping to pull him off balance, but Sonic only grinned wider, tightening his grip on Whisper.
"Release her, Sonic!" Tangle demanded, her voice echoing through the ravaged city street.
Sonic chuckled, a low, menacing sound that sent a shiver down Tangle's spine. "Come and get her, then," he taunted, his eyes gleaming with a madness that Tangle had never seen before.
Tangle ground her teeth together, her tail tightening around Sonic's arm as she prepared to yank hard enough to hopefully dislodge him.
She knew she was no match for his super form, but she couldn't just let him take Whisper.
"Tangle, no!" Surge yelled, finally regaining her footing. "You can't fight him like this. We need to find a way to snap him out of it!"
Tangle shook her head. "I won't let him take her!" Tangle shouted, but instantly, a blue rocket trail hit Sonic in the back, sending him flying through the buildings.
"Metallix, you're finally here!" Breezie shouted, arriving next to Duo, as Metallix carefully lowered Whisper.
"Yes..." Metallix said in his cold, robotic tone, but he seemed hesitant before looking in the direction he had sent Sonic flying.
"Everyone back, dead or alive, Sonic is mine," Metallix said with determination as he readied his boosters.
Surge sighed in relief, her electrical spines crackling as she rushed towards Tangle, who was still looking at the direction Sonic was sent flying, her tail still wrapped around Metallix's arm.
"It's okay, Tangle. Metallix has him," Surge said, gently patting her friend on the shoulder.
Tangle turned to look at Surge, her violet eyes filled with worry. "But... but he's not himself. What's wrong with him? What happened?"
Surge shook her head. "I don't know, Tangle. But we're going to find out, and we're going to fix this."
"First you have to take the Chaos Emeralds from him..." Amy said, arriving with Tails, Espio, Vector, and Charmie.
"There is only one individual capable of detransforming Super Sonic," Tails said, remembering long ago how Knuckles was able to detransform Super Sonic with a blow.
"Who?" Surge asked.
"Knuckles is the guardian of the Master Emerald, the only object capable of controlling the other Chaos Emeralds." Tails explained, who watched as Sonic emerged from the rubble of a building, Metallix colliding with him.
The shockwave from the collision between Metallix and Super Sonic almost blew everyone away.
"Rouge! "I need you and Tails to go get Knuckles on Angel Island, the rest of us will distract Sonic as much as we can so he doesn't cause more damage," Amy ordered, preparing her hammer, ready to fight Sonic, along with Espio, Vector, and Charmie. "Charmie, get all the civilians out of the area, and stay back yourself," Vector ordered the little bumblebee while Metallix and Super Sonic continued to exchange attacks on the ground and in the air.
"Espio, scout ahead and find a defensive position that we can use to cover Rouge and Tails' departure. Everyone else, with me. We need to buy them time."
Surge nodded, her spines crackling with electricity as she darted towards the fray. "Tangle, let's show him what we're made of!" she shouted, her voice echoing through the wreckage. Tangle nodded, her tail lashing out as she joined Surge, Kitsunami uses his hydrokinesis to create a wall of water to deflect Sonic's attacks.
Vector bolstered their defenses with a strong shield using his immensely powerful strength, while Espio scouted ahead, his ninja skills allowing him to find the perfect vantage point for them to launch their counterattack.
Sonic smirked, knocking Metallix aside with a spinning kick. "Everyone against me?" he laughed, his laughter an evil cacophony as he seemed gleeful at the idea. "Come on, don't hold back!"
The first to arrive was Surge, trying to connect with an attack, but Sonic dodged the tenrec's two spinning kicks before grabbing her by the spikes and throwing her to the ground. Surge was caught by a Kitsunami water tentacle, which broke her fall.
Tangle threw a punch that connected with Sonic's head, but he didn't seem to flinch.
"Step aside!" Sonic said, trying to swat her away, but Tangle was quite agile, managing to wrap her tail around Sonic's arm and knock Sonic off his feet, giving Metallix and Shadow a chance to knock Sonic down with a double kick.
"Step aside, this is my fight!" Metallix shouted, visibly irritated despite being a robot.
"Just a thank you, Robosonic. We're helping you," Tangle said, visibly annoyed, but still willing to join forces with Metallix.
"It's Metallix!" Metallix replied.
"Whatever, you're the only one who can hurt him," Espio said, standing next to Metallix. "We'll give you openings so you can hit him, okay?" Espio asked as he finished tying ropes to his kunais.
"We'll keep him busy while you work on removing his emeralds."
Metallix nodded, his blue chassis humming with energy. "Understood. I'll need everyone to contribute their unique abilities to create an opening."
"Leave that to us," Vector said, his gold cane glinting in the moonlight. "We'll make sure he doesn't have a moment's peace."
As Metallix took the center stage, preparing to face off against Super Sonic, the others spread out, each ready to play their part in the elaborate dance they were about to perform.
Surge and Tangle flanked Sonic, their attacks designed to distract and misdirect rather than cause serious harm. Meanwhile, Vector and Espio worked in tandem, the crocodile creating openings with his powerful strikes, and the chameleon exploiting them with his lightning-fast attacks.
Kit, using his hydrokinesis, created a massive water shield that spun around Sonic, deflecting his attacks and limiting his mobility.
This allowed Metallix to approach and deliver a powerful kick that sent Sonic crashing into a nearby building, leaving a large hole in its side.
"Good work, Kit," Surge praised, her spines crackling with electricity as she prepared to rush forward and strike. "Now, let's see if we can't take him down together."
Tangle nodded, her tail lashing out as she joined Surge, her eyes focused on the twisted form of their former friend. "We can do this, Surge.
Together, we can stop him," Tangle said, her violet eyes filled with determination. She knew it would take everything they had, but she was willing to give it her all.
Surge nodded, her spines crackling with electricity as she and Tangle launched themselves at Super Sonic. They knew they couldn't defeat him, but they could buy Metallix the time he needed to remove the Chaos Emeralds.
The fight was chaotic, with Sonic's super form moving so fast it was almost impossible to keep track of him.
Surge and Tangle did their best to keep Sonic's attention on them, their attacks calculated to be just enough to keep him engaged but not so much that they'd wear themselves out. Kit's water shields kept the city from being completely demolished, while Espio and Vector tag-teamed to wear Sonic down with a mix of speed, strength, and precision strikes.
Meanwhile, Metallix studied Sonic's movements, calculating the best way to approach him. He knew that the Chaos Emeralds inside Sonic were the source of his power, and that removing them was the key to stopping him. But Sonic was too fast, too unpredictable.
But Sonic, on the other hand, didn't seem worried, serious, angry, or even taking any of this seriously. With a sharp-toothed smile, he seemed to enjoy himself, like a child in his playroom, discovering what his toys can do before getting bored.
Surge got too close, and Sonic took advantage and grabbed her arm, sending her crashing to the concrete floor. A clawed hand rose to attack Surge. Tangle intervened alongside Kit, but that was what Sonic expected.
"You're taking this too seriously, that's your problem..." Sonic said, taking advantage of Tangle wrapping her tail around him before teleporting with her out of Metallix's immediate reach, who hadn't expected Sonic to use Chaos Control so masterfully.
Sonic appeared next to Espio, hitting the chameleon with the lemur, using Tangle as a kind of mace. The impact between Tangle and Espio caused the latter to break free from Sonic. Vector charged, ramming Sonic from the side, managing to move him a few inches before Vector was sent slamming back in the opposite direction.
"Stop!" Amy Rose yelled. The hedgehog brought her hammer down on Sonic. He stopped it with one hand, and even so, he felt hesitant.
"Hey, that's not your full strength, is it? I mean, you were never the strongest of us, but it shows when you push yourself," Sonic said with an annoyed frown. He looked into Amy's eyes for a second before looking down at himself. "Oh... you don't... because it's me, right? You can't hurt me, not willingly, anyway..." Sonic said. His face, despite the sharp teeth, the wildly bristling spines, and the crimson spirals of madness in his eyes, still resembled the face of the hedgehog he once was, the one everyone pinned their hopes on, even when all was lost.
Amy hesitated, her grip tightening on her hammer, her eyes filled with tears. "Sonic... please, stop this. Whatever is happening to you, just stop. You know you don't have to do this," she pleaded, her voice trembling with emotion.
Sonic laughed, a harsh, maniacal sound that sent shivers down everyone's spine. "Haven't you guessed yet, Amy? I'm free. I don't have to hold back anymore. I can do whatever I want, and no one can stop me," he said, his voice dripping with malice. He looked around at the group, his eyes gleaming with madness.
"You all think you understand me, don't you? You think you know who I am. But you don't. You never did. I'm not your precious little blue blur. I'm not your friend, or your savior, or your hero. I'm more than that. I'm Sonic the Hedgehog, the ultimate life form, the fastest thing alive. And now, I'm invincible."
Surge scoffed, her electrical spikes crackling with renewed energy. "You're not invincible, you damn fool. You're just a messed-up version of the real Sonic."
Sonic looked at her, amused. "And you? Starline only created you to be a crude imitation of me," Sonic said, shaking Amy to the side before teleporting in front of Surge. Shadow slid forward to try to help her, but Sonic was faster, catching them both by the throat.
"Look at you, copies of me. One was created to save a little girl who ended up dying anyway. What an ultimate life form! Who couldn't even save the first person who trusted him with their life," Sonic said, a hurtful comment against Shadow, reminding him of Maria, his first great failure.
Sonic then looked at Surge. "And you? You were a nobody until Starline kidnapped you to turn you into a cheap copy of me, giving you my speed, a clumsy imitation of my personality and even a sidekick as pathetic as Tails, tell me Surge, what are you but my most shameless copy? At least Metal Sonic or Metallix has a personality of his own, but you? You don't even have that." Sonic mocked before slamming both Surge and Shadow into the ground, pinning them down before thrown them away like ragdolls.
He then turned to Tangle, who was standing in shock, her tail limp at her side.
"And you, Tangle, the ultimate failure of the Restoration. You were meant to be their great hope, their savior. But you're nothing more than a pathetic copy of me, with none of the skill or the guts to back it up. You're all just... imitations. Pale shadows of the real thing."
Sonic's words cut deep, and Tangle's eyes widened in disbelief and pain.
Sonic walked slowly toward her before something fell at his feet: Whisper's wispon weapon.
"And this?" Sonic asked before the weapon detonated and the wisps' energy managed to send him flying backward and into the ruined building behind him.
Lanolin the sheep got off her hoverbike. She had Whisper, injured but alive, lying in the backseat.
"Take care of her," the sheep ordered, taking off her cowbell, preparing a sonic attack as she approached Sonic.
Once inside, Lanolin faced Sonic, alone but seeming more determined than the others.
"Let me guess, you're another one who'll tell me that... Aaagh!" Sonic growled, affected by the frequency of Lanolin's cowbell, something impossible, although he vaguely recognized the energy.
"No, I'm not like the others..." Lanolin admitted, her tone colder. "They... have fond memories of you, I don't doubt it. Maybe even now they still see you as the friend you once were to them, but you never were to me." Lanolin said, ringing the cowbell, another surge of energy that kept Sonic, even in his super form, on his knees, but smiling.
"Hey, you seem... resentful..." Sonic joked, seeming to touch a nerve in Lanolin.
"It was always a game for you. Even when you were on our side, the others didn't see it because they subconsciously played along. You didn't take down Eggman simply because the two of you played this sick game of hero and villain," Lanolin said, her tone resentful, vengeful, like something she'd stored away from a long time ago.
"I saw many, TOO MANY, comrades fall to Eggman and his badniks in this stupid eternal war, but you, you always forgave him, defended him, 'let's give him another chance,' 'Let's not be like him,' 'Everyone deserves to be free!'" Lanolin emphasized the last sentence with an especially loud ringing of his cowbell, which made Sonic grovel even further.
"So... careless... So reckless..." Lanolin said, her sheepish face twisting into a grimace of rage. "I'm fed up with the cycle, with the eternal struggle between you and Eggman. Honestly, my plan was to take care of the doctor first, but I won't waste this opportunity to take care of you first," Lanolin said, adjusting her cowbell to its maximum volume.
"By the way, this is Eggman's technology that I stole. Remember the machine that stole your energy to give it to Dark Gaia? I found a way to replicate it into sound waves, which I transmit with this cowbell. Although I refused to use this mode on anyone but you. After all, I know I have no chance of beating you head on, and my only chance would be to catch you off guard," Lanolin said, pointing the cowbell at Sonic, ready to deliver the finishing blow.
Sonic, however, was not ready to give up just yet. As the energy from the cowbell hit him, he gritted his teeth and fought back against the sound waves, his body glowing brighter and brighter as he channeled the power of the Chaos Emeralds.
The energy from the cowbell began to dissipate, and Sonic pushed himself back to his feet, a wicked grin spreading across his face. "You think that's all it takes to beat me?" he taunted, his voice echoing through the ruined building.
Lanolin's eyes widened, and she quickly adjusted the cowbell, trying to increase its power. "No... No, I won't let you get away with this," she whispered, her voice shaking with determination.
Sonic chuckled, his eyes gleaming with madness. "You can't hurt me, Lanolin. Not anymore. I'm invincible," he said, his voice filled with a twisted sense of pride.
Lanolin shook her head, her eyes filled with tears of frustration and anger. "No one is invincible, Sonic. Not even you," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Really? We'll see about that," Lanolin said, her voice shaking with emotion. She took a deep breath, steadying herself, but before she could fire another blast from the Cowbell, Sonic spoke up.
"Chaos Control!" said Sonic, and instantly, the cowbell teleported into the golden hedgehog's hands, who crushed it like someone crushing a dry cracker between their fingers.
"No!" Lanolin said before being grabbed by the soft, white, plush, pigtailed wool on her head and thrown against a reception table, her arm dislocating from the force of the impact.
"Wow, you weren't lying when you admitted to being a weakling. Although I must give you stitches. I was bored of everyone adoring this face, and seeing one who legitimately hated blue gives me some relief," said Sonic, though Lanolin seemed to come to a realization. Sonic might be a jokester, but he didn't usually refer to himself in the third person. She leaned against one of the sections of the table as best she could, holding her disabled arm, watching Sonic approach. "Tell me... why did Tails become your best friend?" Lanolin asked, staring into Sonic's reddish spiral eye sockets.
"Because I saved him. They were bullying the stupid little fox, and I intervened," Sonic said, though he seemed distracted by the question, more hesitant. "W-what was that all of a sudden about?" Sonic asked, puzzled by the sheep's question, which only laughed.
"What a waste... I hope he's not conscious..." Lanolin said before fainting, with a smile.
Sonic stood there for a minute, thoughtful... stunned. It had hurt him to refer to Tails like that... and it wasn't the first time; a part of him seemed confused.
"Damn, that... threw me off..." Sonic said, calming down, but instantly shook off the thought.
"No, I just... told the truth... my... truth..." Sonic said, before Metallix grabbed him from behind, grabbing him tightly. "You and I are leaving, someone is waiting for you on Angel Island" said Metallix taking Sonic with him, the golden hedgehog tried to free himself by increasing the temperature around him, but Metallix endured his attempts to get away.
"You can't stop this, I'm invincible—" Sonic began, but Metallix cut him off.
"You're right, but I'm not trying to stop you. I'm taking you to someone who can," Metallix said, his chassis humming with energy.
Sonic laughed, a maniacal sound that sent shivers down Metallix's circuits. "And who might that be?
Eggman?" Sonic asked, his body struggling against Metallix's grip.
Metallix shook his head. "No, someone much more powerful than him. Someone who can understand and control your power better than anyone else."
Sonic scoffed. "Impossible. I am the ultimate power."
"You are a part of it, but you are not the whole," Metallix replied, his voice firm.
Sonic stopped struggling and instead begun to focus all the power inside of him, like a charging supernova, that slowly begun to overheat Metallix.
"Chaos Blast!" Sonic screams, unleashing a powerfull energy blast on all directions, like a star exploding.
The energy illuminated everything around like a sun at night, even the clouds dispersing, giving way to a night sky eclipsed by the intense light that emerged from Sonic.
When it went out, Sonic was holding Metallix's head, from which hung a dismembered torso, with sparking wires and circuits where limbs had once been.
"You're tough... That blast would have killed others, but that chassis of yours holds up like the best," Sonic mocked, as he watched the metal slowly begin to self-replicate, regenerating the parts destroyed by the Chaos Blast.
"I wonder, if I destroyed your head, could you keep rebuilding yourself?" Sonic said, beginning to press down on Metallix's head with both hands. The metal began to make a terrifying metallic sound as it dented and began to give way under the hedgehog's increased strength, but it wasn't the same as before. Using Chaos Blast had weakened it enough for Breezie's plan to continue.
"I'm just... the distraction..." said Metallix as his visor flashed with an alert message, due to the pressure exerted by Sonic.
"I'll miss you, Metallix," said Sonic, but before he could give the final squeeze, a thousand gunshots assaulted him from behind, making him flinch and release Metallix.
As he turned around, he saw hundreds of thousands of robots just like Metallix, all aiming the laser cannons on their arms at the golden hedgehog.
"Even if you brought a million of these, you couldn't beat me," said Sonic, before one of the robots could speak.
"We're here to take you, not defeat you," the robot said before launching the hundreds of thousands of robots at Sonic. Their sheer numbers began to drag them away. Even though they were much weaker than the original Metallix, the sheer number of them made it possible for them to begin flooding Sonic and carry him out of Central City, toward Angel Island.
**Meanwhile**
Metallix was severely damaged; his core was destroyed. Despite not wanting to show it, the damage to his central processor now made it much more difficult for him to rebuild his limbs and lower torso, shattered by Sonic's Chaos Blast. And even the damage to his power core prevented him from keeping the microbots that made up his body functioning; they only maintained the bare bones to keep him functioning.
"Is this... is this... what it feels like... to die..." he wondered. It was the first time he had felt something similar to the end of organic life. Ironically, it made him feel more alive than he had on many other occasions when he was defeated by Sonic. Even though he'd been destroyed so many times, he'd never felt anything like the true end.
It was then that he heard a hoverboard approaching, with Duo the cat appearing in front of him.
"You're in bad shape, aren't you, Tiny?" Duo mocked playfully, before someone smacked him upside the head.
"More respect, Duo," said Breezie, who was the one following Duo, before kneeling down next to Metallix. "You did well, Metallix, just... I ask that you continue as soon as I fix you, but if you don't want to, we can leave..." Breezie said, as best she could, she dragged Metallix to lean him against a nearby rock.
Metallix felt strange, he was expecting an order from her, like he heard from Eggman before, always orders, but this time she was giving him the option to choose whether he wanted to continue fighting or not.
He couldn't remember anyone giving him an option before, not an order.
"You're giving me an option?" Metallix asked, the blue chassis humming a little with the effort of speaking.
"Yes, I'm giving you the choice, Metallix," Breezie replied, her indigo fur shimmering under the moonlight as she worked on his damaged body, her mechanical skills and knowledge allowing her to find exactly where to repair and how much energy needed to be pumped in.
"Why?" Metallix asked, his blue visor looking at her with an expression of genuine curiosity.
Breezie paused in her repairs, looking up at him. "Because you're not just a tool, Metallix. You're a being with your own thoughts, feelings, and choices. You deserve to have a say in what happens to you," she explained, her voice soft and sincere.
Metallix processed her words, his circuits humming quietly. It was a concept foreign to him, one he had never considered. He had always been a tool, a weapon, a servant. But now, Breezie was offering him something more.
"I... I don't know what to choose," Metallix admitted, his voice barely above a whisper.
He had never been given a choice before, and he wasn't sure what he wanted.
Breezie looked up at him, her eyes filled with understanding. "That's okay, Metallix. You don't have to make a decision right now. Just focus on healing, and we'll figure the rest out later," she said, her voice gentle and reassuring.
Metallix nodded, his body humming with energy as Breezie continued to work on his repairs. He closed his eyes, his circuits buzzing as he focused on healing.
"Okay, now what do we do?" Duo said, annoyed with the situation, as he watched Breezie work to repair Metallix's power core. "Because I'm not going to fight that crazy golden hedgehog," he stated.
"First, you could go check on that stupid sheep Lanolin and make sure she's okay. You know your place in all this," Breezie said with a cold, apathetic tone as she worked on Metallix.
"Do you want me to leave you here? I don't know if a scientist would be safe around that madman," she said, looking up at the sky where Sonic was being swept away by the tide of hundreds of thousands of Metallixes.
"I'll be fine. Just keep doing your job. They shouldn't suspect that you and I know each other more than necessary." Breezie said, as Metallix's power core started working again, with a soft but steady sound.
She then connected several wires to Metallix's body, and a screen popped up in front of the robot's visor, showing his current status, all systems with a green light, indicating good operation.
"We'll go with you, Duo. We need to make sure everyone is okay, and we need to keep an eye on things," Breezie said, looking at Duo, who sighed and looked towards the city.
Meanwhile, in Central City, Amy was crying over Lanolin, who had been saved from the brink of death by Tails, who had used his tails to keep her heart pumping until they got the sheep to a hospital.
"Miss Lanolin, can you hear me?" Tails asked, his voice filled with concern. Lanolin groaned, her eyes fluttering open to see Tails and Amy by her side.
"Wh-what happened?" Lanolin asked, her voice hoarse and weak.
Amy wiped away her tears and smiled at Lanolin. "You were hurt, but Tails saved you. You're in the hospital now, so you're safe," she said, taking Lanolin's hand in hers.
Lanolin looked up at Tails, her eyes filled with gratitude. "Thank you, Tails.
I owe you one," Lanolin said, her voice weak but determined. She looked around the hospital room, her eyes widening as she saw the chaos outside through the window. "Is that... is that Sonic out there?"
Tails nodded grimly. "Thanks to Miss Breezie, we managed to get Sonic away from the city," Tails said.
"Yeah, she activated Sweet Clean Inc.'s robot army to push Sonic away from the city," Espio said, looking quite injured but conscious.
"Besides, Metallix saved you. He sacrificed himself to take Sonic as far away as he could and prevent further damage to the city," Tails said, a hint of concern in his voice.
Lanolin's eyes widened in shock. "Metallix... saved me?" she whispered, her voice barely audible.
Amy nodded, her eyes shining with unshed tears. "He took the full brunt of Sonic's Chaos Blast to protect you. It was... it was incredible," she said, her voice choked with emotion.
Tails looked out the window, his eyes following the robot army as they carried Sonic away. "We need to get to Angel Island. Knuckles and his team are our best chance of stopping Sonic and bringing him back to his senses," he said, determination in his voice.
Amy nodded, her eyes filled with worry. "But how will we get to Angel Island? We can't just leave Central City in this state."
Tails thought for a moment before a smile spread across his face. "Don't worry, I'll fly everyone there in the Tornado. With the repairs I made, it should be able to handle the weight," he said, his voice filled with excitement.
Espio nodded, standing up from his seat. "I'll go and gather the others.
We need to have everyone ready to go as soon as possible," Tails said, his voice filled with a newfound determination. He rushed out the door, leaving Amy and Espio with Lanolin.
Amy turned to Espio, her eyes filled with worry. "Do you think we can really stop him?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
Espio looked out the window, his gaze following the distant speck that was Sonic being carried away by the robot army. He shook his head, his expression grave. "I don't know, Amy. But we have to try. We can't let him keep going like this. He's not the Sonic we know.
Espio looked away from the window, his eyes meeting Amy's. "We need to find a way to reach the real Sonic inside him. We need to snap him out of this and bring our friend back."
Amy nodded, her resolve strengthening. "You're right. We can't just give up on him. We need to find a way to help him."
She turned to Lanolin, who was watching them with a mixture of concern and confusion. "Lanolin, do you have any idea what could be causing this? Any clue where we should start looking for answers?"
Lanolin shook her head, wincing in pain.
"No, I don't know," Lanolin said sincerely, though she felt somewhat guilty and annoyed. She'd wasted her best bets on something that used Sonic's face, not the real him. She was also nervous about how Amy would react to what she'd said, her plan to take down Sonic and Eggman.
"Amy... what I said..." she was about to speak, but Amy stopped her.
"It's okay, I know... you had everyone's best interests at heart... and besides, your plan helped us a lot..." Amy said, seeming to want to comfort her, though also hesitant. It was clear that their opinions had changed now that Amy knew what Lanolin really thought of Sonic.
Amy was overwhelmed with emotions, understanding that Lanolin's words were filled with years of frustration and pain. She held Lanolin's hand tighter as she spoke. "Lanolin... your feelings are valid. Sonic has put us all through hell, one way or another. But we can't give up on him now, not when he needs us the most."
Lanolin looked at Amy, surprised by her words. "You... you think so? Even after what I said?"
Amy nodded. "Yes. We all have our limits, and sometimes we say things we don't mean when we're pushed to the edge.
I know that's what happened with you, and I'm not going to hold it against you."
Lanolin looked at Amy, her eyes filling with tears. "You're too kind, Amy. I don't deserve your forgiveness."
Amy smiled gently. "None of us do, but that's what friends are for. Right?"
Lanolin nodded, her heart filled with gratitude. "Right," she whispered.
Just then, Espio entered the room with Tails, followed by a group of others. "Everyone is gathered outside. We're ready to go as soon as you are, Lanolin," Espio said.